January 29, 2013 2:08 pm

A man from California, or somewhere else (it’s hard to say at this point), is in a whole heap of trouble after being arrested at a Tacoma casino last week carrying three ID cards with two different names on them and 39 credit cards, all of which authorities said were forged.

Pierce County prosecutors charged the man Monday with three counts of unlawful possession of fictitious identification and 10 counts of forgery. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail. Further charges might be forthcoming, prosecutors said, when they figure out the man’s true name and the full parameters of his alleged crimes.

The case began Friday at the Emerald Queen Casino.

Puyallup Tribal Police officers were called there after receiving reports that a man was trying to withdrawal $2,000 cash using a credit card. A cashier helping him grew suspicious and requested authorities, court records show. When officers arrived, he presented a California ID card bearing the name Walter A. Daniels, records show. Trouble was he used an Arizona ID car bearing the name Earl E. Jones while he was trying to withdrawal the cash.

“Given the two identifications, the defendant was placed under arrest for possession of a false identification,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents.

Police then searched him, finding another ID card, $7,400 in cash and 39 credit cards. They then called in a Pierce County sheriff’s detective who in turn called U.S. Secret Service agents.

The Secret Service agents determined the credit cards were forged, records show.

“The names printed on the bank cards did not match the names and banks encoded on the magnetic strips of the credit cards,” prosecutors wrote.

The man told authorities he drove up from California with two other men and three women and stopped at numerous casinos along the way to withdrawal cash. He allegedly told authorities he found the cards in a jacket.

“The defendant was uncooperative and evasive,” prosecutors wrote.

He also was covered in gang tattoos.

“Once the actual victims and accounts are identified, the state will likely amend charges to include identity theft and theft in varying degrees, along with appropriate aggravating circumstances,” prosecutors wrote. “The United States Attorney’s Office is also evaluating this case for possible federal charges given the amount of forged credit cards.”

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